


The Assignment

by CaffeinatedBliss



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fighting, Flashbacks, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Recovery, Relapse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:56:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7645612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedBliss/pseuds/CaffeinatedBliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set 6 months after "The Winter Soldier" Bucky has returned in search of answers and help. As the team works to undo Hydras damage, Steve assigns a friend to watch over the rehabilitating ex-assassin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older fic i began writing on fanfiction.net back in 2014 that is completely planned out but i fell off writing, I've recently picked it back up and finished the third chapter and decided to move it here! my writing style has changed a bit from how it was in the first few chapters but i'm still pretty proud of it! Hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> ( This story also has Music Inspo!)

Prologue

"Natasha I'm just not sure it's the best plan of action" Steve tried to explain as he walked down the hall beside the ex-assassin. The team had been in the process of starting up a new S.H.I.E.L.D a better S.H.I.E.L.D, and it was going pretty well.

"Steve, I know what I'm doing, she's perfect for the job" the red head insisted, quickening her pace to keep up with the super soldier.

"SHE?!"

"Yes, she, and SHE is highly trained in hand to hand combat, a master knifes man and has a masters in communications. She's perfect "she explained enthusiastically, with a side grin. Steve remained silent for a moment. Then, stopping as they reached the end of the hall he sighed and turned to the petite woman beside him.

"I just think we should take some time and rethink our options" he said staring down at her.

"You know, as well as I do that we don't have any other options. Everyone's busy saving the world or rebuilding the new S.H.I.E.L.D". She gestured down the hallway of the large building they were standing in. "And it's imperative we get started on this as soon as possible." She added

Steve sighed again, running a hand through his short hair. Natasha smiled placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Trust me, she's a friend" she then opened the door and walked in, Steve following not too far behind.

The room was empty, a large desk and black chair were set up in near the middle of the farther wall. A meeting table with around 8 chairs circling it was placed off to the left. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"A friend huh?" He asked looking down at Natasha.

Natasha pursed her lips as she looked up at the man "mhmm, master knifes man, skilled in hand to hand combat, communications wiz..." She began. As Steve stared at her scoldingly, a dark figure dropped behind him. "And also... pretty bad ass when it comes to stealth" she smirked, crossing her arms.

"Well, I thought we were friends as well cap but... Maybe I misread our last encounter "Steve jumped slightly before turning swiftly to meet the shadowed figure. "But no, that can't be right, because, I'm never wrong" the voice said followed by a short giggle. The figure stepped closer to him.

She stood around 5'6, slightly larger than Natasha, with a more athletic build; she looked young probably in her early 20's.

She was wearing dark brown ankle boots, her black skinnies tucked into the cuffs of them and hugging her long legs tightly. It was topped off with an army green lightweight jacket with a drawstring tie in the middle, hugging her waist tightly, the green of her jacket contrasting gracefully with her caramel skin. Her hair was dark brown with a few natural highlights of auburn here and there. It was pulled into a low ponytail ending between her shoulder blades; a few stray strands fell at either side of her face.

She grinned at the man, her brown eyes glinting at him as his eyes adjusted to try and recognize her.

"Aleigra?" He asked cautiously, she grinned in response.

"Hey cap, long time no see" she laughed moving to wrap her arms around the large man. He leaned down and grabbed her in return, then picking her up to straighten his back.

Steve had met the young woman a little while after New York. A longtime friend of Natasha's, she was rather enthusiastic upon meeting The Captain America. And although she was barely of age to drink, she was avidly interested in the whole "saving the world thing", as she put it. At the time, she still had some loose ends to tie up overseas, which was the last time he'd seen her.

"Now try and tell me she isn't perfect for the job " Natasha nudged him as they broke their embrace. Steve grunted in response. He looked down at the young woman; he had seen what she could do. At one time accompanying Natasha on missions in her pre-S.H.I.E.l.D days, she was ranked above most in her level, as well as a few in higher levels than her. She had the ability yes, but-

"I just don't think-"

"Come on cap, it's basically a babysitting job right?" The brunette asked a smile itching one side of her mouth. Steve rolled his shoulders a bit at the question, turning and walking about the room.

Both women caught his discomfort and Natasha stepped in.

"It's a little more... complicated, than that" she explained. Aleigra raised an eyebrow glancing over at the hero who was looking out the window, his back turned to them.

"Like, the person is unpredictable and dangerous?" She asked, her tone hinting that she's handled worse.

"Like, he's my best friend, and has been brainwashed for the last 70 years" Steve murmured, from his spot by the window, only turning his head to glance over at her. She kept a blank expression, taking time to read him. His shoulders held tight and his breathing seemed thick. Stress and uncertainty. But why?

The room was silent for a while, an air of discomfort making its way around the area. Aleigra took a quick breath, pushing the stray hairs behind her ears before moving over to him.

"Hey, trust me, I can handle this, and who better than a friend to handle another friend?" She whispered up at him, a small smile following. Steve took a final deep sigh, his blue eyes meeting her brown. He could swear he saw a glint in them. "I work for free" she grinned, causing a small smile to form on the hero's face.

"...Alright" he finally said, both women smiled "BUT, there's a major detail you should probably know about before you solidify your decision" he warned.

"Well I doubt you can change my mind but shoot" she shrugged.

Steve hesitated and exchanged glances with Natasha who had made her way over to the two. Aleigra raised an eyebrow at the two.

"Any day now" she joked.

Steve nodded at the red head, who then turned to her friend.

"He's the Winter Soldier."

Aleigra P.O.V

"He's the Winter Soldier" Nat said, I tried to read her in hopes that maybe it was a joke.

All signs pointed to a big ol' nope.

We eventually moved to sit at the table in the room. I continued to read Steve as Nat went to the desk near the back wall. He wringed his hands together slowly, and the slight vibration I felt coming from the other side of the table showed he was shaking one leg. Nerves, sure signs of them, which meant what they were saying, was true.

The Winter Soldier? I have to 'babysit' THE WINTER SOLDIER. The same guy who supposedly got a bullet through Nat?

I mean, I love a challenge, but, I always thought he was just a myth, an eerie story that made its way around the spy community. Guess I was wrong. This guy had supposedly done a lot of things over the last seventy years but was still young? How could that be possible? I glanced back up at the man sitting across from me.

Well, I guess anything's possible.

Nat finally returned to the table sliding a thick file over to me as she sat down.

They both stared at me, patiently waiting for me to open it. I looked down at the item placed before me. The cover was written all over, mainly in German script. I stared down at the faded tan folder. Parts of the corners glossy with what could only be caused by the oil of constant fingering. The ink had long since faded, but I could still make out a bit of what it said.

Hydra-Subject-Cryo

I tried my best not to change my facial expression as I slowly opened the folder. An enlarged photo of a sleeping man, frost tinting him as well as his surroundings, was paper clipped to the inside of the first page.

A smaller photo, obviously outdated in its sepia glory, was paper clipped to the bottom right corner of the first photo. It held the image of another man, bearing similar traits to the man in the first photo. He wore what looked to be a brown suit with a matching hat, a get up assigned to those of Sergeant rank back in the early 40's, if I did recall right. He had a slight grin edging at one corner of his mouth.

I took less time turning to the next page, quickly reading over the information. I scanned every sentence thoroughly before resting my eyes on a few selective details.

ID number 3-2-5-5-7*

"James Buchanan Barnes" I muttered to myself as I flipped through the following pages. Slightly engrossed in the information I now had in my possession, I failed to hear the clearing of throats.

"ALEIGRA!" Nat finally caught my attention. I slammed the file shut quickly, before looking back up at the two sitting along with me. I grinned slightly at my embarrassment.

"S-sorry"

The two then began a short debriefing of just what exactly I would be doing in my assignment. Both rattled off details and goals that I only half had my attention on. I had reopened the file and continued to read about the man I would soon be spending a lot of time with.

James Buchanan Barnes

About 2 hours later, we had finished our meeting and stood to head our separate ways for the evening. I was allowed to take the file home and study up on it in preparation for meeting the man in question the next day.

I placed it in my bag and began my journey home.

Making my way out the extended exit of where we met and my new apartment I took a little time to think things over. What I had gotten myself into was just what the doctor ordered. I wanted to do some good, help others, but wasn't just yet ready to have everyone shooting at me again.

I walked home, opting out of taking a cab or the bus, a ten minute ride ,turned to maybe a half hour walk.

I smiled as I took in the humid air of the calm spring evening. I hadn't lived in New York for very long, 2 months Saturday to be exact, and I was still getting used to the slowness of it. It was calmer than what I was used to, and I guess that's saying something about my previous life, but it's also what I liked it about this new place. Calm never managed to really fit into my hectic life, and to think I finally got to experience it brewed a beautiful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I looked up to the sky, the lights of the stark tower blocking any chance of stars. Stark, they mentioned him in the meeting, the notorious head of Stark industries, as well as active member of the avengers. Iron Man I think. I'd be meeting him along with a few of the others tomorrow. Can't say I'm not at least a little excited. These guys took on an alien race led by a god of Asgard. Pretty bad ass.

After little whiles longer of taking in the city, I finally made it to the apartment building I called home. Reaching into my bag I pulled out my set of keys and entered the building. It was a pretty nice place, I didn't want anything too fancy, and I wasn't too fancy to begin with. No doorman, no people there to park my car, or better yet, no one to park my car, if it existed.

The lobby was nice, a bit outdated, but they kept it clean. There were a few couches and arm chairs, floral print of course. A nice sized coffee table sat in the middle of the room, between the couches. Like I said nothing special.

My neighbors were nice. Though I had only met a few of them.

There was the owner of the building and his wife, the Lyons. A cute old couple in their 60's who lived on the first floor. They gave me a good deal on rent, but the wife was a little too interested in my love life, especially for someone who has only known me a few weeks. She insisted that i should meet her son, and that "we would really hit it off". I laughed to myself at the memory.

I made my way past the inboxes labeled for each member of the building, I didn't bother to check what I knew would be empty. Instead, I stepped on to the elevator. Pressing the button labeled 6 I watched as the doors closed and proceeded to move upward. I tapped my foot impatiently as i waited to reach my floor.

The car slowed to a stop as it hit the third floor. I silently prayed for deliverance from what exactly happened next.

On to the car stepped Ronnie, the thirty something menace to my well-being. He was about the same height as me and sported every name brand I could name and then some. I met him the second night after I moved in. Although there were washers and dryers on all the floors, the third had the best dryers. He wasn't doing laundry, just hanging around the areas like some desert lizard, attracted to the dampness of a wet towel. I introduced myself as common courtesy, but he hasn't left me alone since.

I rolled my eyes pressing myself to the far corner of the car, maybe I'd become invisible if I thought hard enough. A sly grin crossed his face as he caught sight of me.

"Alana!" His gruff voice boomed as he stepped over to me.

"It's Aleigra" I corrected pushing myself closer to the furnished wall of the elevator. A strange stench filled the once clear air. I barred the idea of wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"Are you sure? I'm positive it's Alana" he grinned, the whiteness of his teeth nearly blinding. What a contradiction.

"No, it's Aleigra, I'm uh, I'm pretty sure" I retorted lowly rummaging through my bag for any form of a distraction.

"If you say so" He shrugged at me as the door shut behind him. "So, anyway" he dragged on, leaning against the wall barely two inches from me." About that date we talked about last week" he continued, flashing another toothy smile. The elevator was moving too slow.

"Ronald you're old enough to be my father" I murmured keeping my eyes on the numbers at the top of the door; we had just reached the 6th floor. I quickly made my way out of the elevator and down the hall. To my dismay, he followed. I held off on taking out my keys, instead standing by my door.

"It's Ronnie, baby" he winked at me "and you're exaggerating girl, you're like 26 right?" he asked, leaning over me and resting his arm on the wall right above my head.

"23 Ronald, we go over this every time you talk to me" I sighed, looking off down the hallway.

"See we're not that far apart, we're babes of the same era" he laughed. Where was a gas mask when I needed one?

"Now why don't I come in and we can talk about locations, and who would pay what?" he continued. I looked away for a moment before a quick thought popped into my mind.

"How old ARE you exactly, Ronald?" I turned to meet his eyes. A quick twitch hit his body, one, followed by it tensing up all together, two. I smirked awaiting his reply. He swallowed hard, his Adams apple struggled to move up and down, and three.

"I- uh" he stammered as the ding of the elevator sounded. His body loosened as he scurried off down the hall.

"I'll talk to you later Aliyah" he called as he rounded the corner to his getaway.

I sighed in relief as I turned around to face my door, reaching into my bag to grab my keys once more. The sound of children's music faintly playing behind made me smile.

The woman who lived across from me, Beth I think, was pretty nice. She had two kids, a 14 year old boy and a three year old little girl, Jason and Bella. Nice family, dad wasn't in the picture as far as I knew, but I didn't really care to pry too deeply into her life. At least not yet.

Finally getting my door open I stepped into the dark apartment. Not bothering to turn anything on I kicked off my shoes and moved quickly to the larger bedroom of the apartment. Walking past the other room which was acting as storage for the few belongings I had yet to unpack, i really did luck up on this place. I'd have to do something nice for that little old man and woman.

Opening the door to my room, I switched on my light and smiled lovingly at my bed, it was all don up with a few decorative pillows, matching the plush black and white comforter. I always fixed it before I left. The rest of the house could be in total disarray, hell the whole world could be, but as long as my bed was fixed it was okay.

I climbed right on top of the blankets, and propped up the pillows so I could sit up straight. Pulling my bag up near me as I sat Indian style, I reached in and pulled out the file. I had a lot of studying to do before tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Original Author Notes:*I'm not completely sure of Bucky's dog tag number, but in the movie , those were the few numbers he listed off when he was getting rescued  
> Hope you enjoyed, feel free to drop a message or leave a review!  
> See ya next chapter! in..
> 
> The man with the metal arm]


	2. The Man With the Metal Arm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspo Songs:  
> Cheap Sunglasses” RAC  
> “Pyres of Varanasi” by Thirty Seconds to Mars

She woke with a start, the loud nag of the alarm clock startling her from an uncomfortable sleep. Sitting up slowly she took in her surroundings. A few decorative pillows had made their way to the plush beige carpet of her bedroom floor. The bed, although quite wrinkled, was still fixed for display. Papers from the file still lay about the king sized bed and she sat amongst them.

Aleigra had spent the entire night absorbing virtually all the information she could before eventually passing out. Gathering the papers up into her arm, she lined them up neatly before placing them back into the folder. After sitting it on her bedside table, she slapped the top of the digital clock to cease its noise before falling back onto the bed.

After a short inner argument she stood with a loud stretch, her arms reaching for the ceiling they would never touch. With a loud yawn she looked over and huffed angrily at her clock, 7:00am.For as long she had been waking up at the crack of dawn (if not earlier), she never learned to like it. And although it wasn't necessarily "the crack of dawn" she still didn't like it. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and walked over to the dresser, where a black speaker with a doc for her phone waited for her.

Turning her phone to her morning playlist, she picked one song from the list of maybe thirty. Hitting the repeat button, she began to sing along to the one song as she began to get ready. She had created the playlist for that specific reason, even if she did end up wearing a song out every day*.

She crept lazily out of her room, and across the hall to the bathroom. It wasn't anything special, a bathtub, shower, sink, and toilet, a few black and blue decorations. It wasn't like she had embroidered towels with her initials or anything. 

Her bare feet met the cool of the grey tile as she entered the room. The corners of her mouth twitched as she glared at the floor in disgust. Stopping at the sink, she rolled her eyes at her reflection. Her hair was, as expected, all over the place. She quickly took a brush from the drawer below the sink and took down the ponytail, brushing through the brown mess, trying her hardest to break through the knots formed in her sleep. Reaching into the drawer again, she pulled out a shower cap. Fashionable? No, but it kept her hair from getting wet and that's all she wanted from it. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with what would come from wet hair.

Stripping down quickly she stepped into the shower, closing the opaque door. She never quite understood the purpose of showers with doors like that. . Standing back she waited for the water to heat up before immersing herself in its warmth. She took her time as she lathered herself in sweet scented body wash, catching verses from the song blasting through the apartment and singing along. Eventually ending her shower with a final rinse she came to the realization that she had come into the bathroom without a towel. She shrugged at herself then turned off the water leaving the sound of stray drips from the shower head. 

Stepping out of the shower she shook her limbs lazily before strolling back across the hall, bare. The perks of living alone she thought to herself. 

Drying herself off with a nearby towel she went to pick out an outfit for the day. Not feeling especially creative she opted for an over-sized denim button up, pulling out a pair of black jeggings and a thick black belt to wrap around her thin torso. 

Not yet bothering with primping, she headed back to the bathroom, flat iron in hand, prepared for the battle she couldn't avoid. She stepped in front of the mirror and stared back at her reflection. Her hair had reacted hideously to the humidity of the shower and she stifled a laugh at the poof a top her head.

"Beautiful" she sighed, plugging in the utensil.

15 minutes later her hair was as straight as genetics would allow and was actively attempting to eat a slice of toast while slipping on a pair of dark blue high-tops. Maybe it wasn't the most intelligent idea, but after a few moments of hopping on one leg, she had her shoes on and was now enjoying her "breakfast". 

Returning to her room, she quickly fixed her bed, returning the pillows to their rightful places. Then moving to her bedside table she put the worn file into the drawer, closing it tightly. She glanced at the digital clock that read 7:55. 

"Perfect" she smiled to herself triumphantly. She picked up a canvas mini book bag from near her dresser and tossed her phone, keys, and wallet into it. Taking a final check of her room she stepped back to the bathroom, quickly drawing a thin line of black above her eyelashes, and with a swipe of gloss she headed to the front door. Grabbing a pair of aviators from the small table at the entrance she left out, locking the door behind her.

"GOOD MORNING MISS ALEI" a voice chimed excitedly from behind her. Alei smirked to herself at the sound, turning around she smiled at the little girl who now stood before her. 

" Well, good morning little miss Bella, how are you this fine morning " she returned , placing her hands on her knees and bending down to meet eye to eye with the little girl. Not even two feet tall, her light brown hair draped down a little past the middle of her back. She was dressed in a light pink top, probably 80% sparkle; it featured a cupcake with rainbow icing. Aleigra couldn't help but smile at the dark purple tutu she wore over silver leggings. Her black flats were probably 98% sparkle.

“I’m fine; mommy is taking me to preschool. And Jase is going to school too. Do you like my tutu?" The little girl asked excitedly, doing some sort of turn that featured some sort of pivot jump. The woman couldn't help but giggle at the movement.

“Yes, it's very beautiful little miss" she smiled. "Maybe you'll let me borrow it sometime?"   
The little girls pale blue eyes lit up, her already large smile grew wider.

"YES. You would be so pretty in my tutu Ms. Alei!" She squealed, doing another strange jig that only a three year old could pull off. She stopped abruptly, her smile turned to a look of pure deep thought. Her small features twisted in concentration.

Aleigra raised an eyebrow at the little girl. "You can't fit it Ms. Alei" the little girl concluded.

“And what makes you say that" the woman asked, finally squatting down completely.

“Well-" the little girl paused "Because" she answered slowly.

"Because what?" 

The little girl paused, looking back at the open door of her apartment quickly. Turning back around she looked at Aleigra "Jase says that you have a big butt, but it’s the good kind, and if you have a big butt you can't fit my clothes right?" She asked ,concern pinching at her little voice. Aleigra stifled a laugh, pressing her lips together into a hard smile. The sounds of a low gasp grabbing her attention. 

Looking up at the open doorway of the apartment, a boy, around the same height as Aleigra stood. His black hair lay messy atop his head, and a few strands of fringe falling over his emerald eyes, pure terror crossing his face. Aleigra smiled up at the boy.

“Isabella, get in here, mom wants to braid your hair." He said shakily, a low voice cracking a bit on a few words. 

"Good morning Jason” Aleigra smiled, standing back up as the little girl bolted back into the house. Jason stared at the woman, mouth open to speak but no words able to escape.

"I-I, I gotta..... Go" he said slowly, stepping back into the apartment and shutting the door in front of him.

“Okay, bye" she said after the door had already closed a smirk growing as she turned and headed to the elevator. 

Slipping on her sunglasses she stood at the curb in front of the apartment building, holding an arm out and hailing a cab. She gave him her destination as she climbed into the back seat. The driver nodded and pulled off from the curb. Aleigra fastened the seat belt before popping her headphones in and continuing her playlist where it left off at home. This time disabling the repeat button she closed her eyes as the first song began. Not singing along this time.   
Stark Tower.  
\----  
The ride seemed shorter than what she expected; the playlist hadn't even reached its end before the driver stopped the car and glanced in the rear mirror, alerting her that they had reached her destination. Aleigra paid the driver, and thanked him before hopping out of the vehicle and heading towards the entrance. The doorman smiled at her as she approached him. 

"Good morning and welcome to Stark tower" he said, opening the large glass doors. She returned the greeting before stepping through the door.Resisting the urge to point out that there was only a lone A gracing the building, obviously never repaired after the battle of New York.

Aleigra's eyes widened as she took in the large lobby before her. Chrome and black color scheme graced the room, and an air of professionalism hit her. The woman at the large circular desk smiled at her as she approached. She was a blonde, her hair curled and pulled behind her left ear to all fall over her right shoulder. Her smile was hard to miss on account of the bright red lipstick she wore in contrast to the pastel purple blouse she wore. It looked lightweight, and also was supposed to be accompanied by a tank top. But that would of course cover up her massive cleavage she was so obviously trying to show off and we wouldn't want that now would we?

"Good morning and welcome to "the tower”. Do you have an appointment?" She asked. Aleigra smirked at the false cheer the woman expelled. She could tell that the woman would rather be anywhere else but behind that desk. The slight strain in her smile told a big enough story all by itself. But the quick once over the woman gave her was questionable to Aleigra. 

What the hell is her problem? 

"Ah, yes, I'm here to see Mr. Stark. I have a meeting with him at 9" Aleigra smiled back, putting on her most professional voice.   
The woman at the desk eyed her before glancing over at the clock at the corner of the large table, 8:55.

She looked back to her computer, if you could call it that. The screen was holographic and she tapped at it quickly, sliding through files until stopping slowly and scanning a list of letters that were blurred to Aleigra's side of the screen.The woman looked up slowly, a slight frown on her face, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly in what Aleigra read as delight.

"I'm sorry" the woman began slowly, “there doesn’t seem to be anything here about Mr. Stark having any appointments at 9" she said her finger across the screen again. “or any appointments for the day at all" she finished, intertwining her fingers together in front of her. 

“Oh? well, that can't be right" Aleigra replied, she could tell the woman was at least a bit satisfied with her dilemma. And she fought her radical thoughts to keep her professional tone. “Do you think we could call up and maybe -"

“Mr. Stark is a busy man, and has no time to take calls from someone who claims to have an appointment” she interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Aleigra asked her tolerance hanging by a thread.

“You heard me". The blonde continued, pointing a manicured finger at Aleigra. 

“The only thing I'm going to hear is the sound of your finger snapping in two if you don’t get it out of my face in point three seconds,” the brunette growled lowly. She held a serious face; the only sign of emotion came from the glare in her brown eyes. the secretary’s eyes widened as she pulled her hand back behind the desk.

“E-either way, if you don't leave peacefully I’ll call security” she threatened nervously tilting her head to the security guards standing near the elevators, a feeble smirk creeping onto her face as she tried to avoid the piercing gaze. Aleigra eyed the blonde. She refused to make eye contact, which meant she felt threatened, good, well, not good, that would mean she would actually call the guards, and that would be bad.

"That's enough Gina" a woman's voice called from behind Aleigra. She turned around in time to see a slim redhead approaching. She wore tan cargo pants draw stringed up to her calves, and a dark green polo. Her hair fell just a little past her shoulders and her face had an authoritative look on it. Aleigra stepped aside to allow her room to speak to the woman now identified as Gina who sat behind the desk. She now sported a blank stare with a pinch of fear, her smirk long since fallen.

"M-Miss Potts, good morning!" Gina said quickly, sitting up straighter in her seat. The redhead smirked, resting an arm on the desk top.

“Mhmm, keep this up and you'll be out of a job, just like the rest of your friends who worked here" she stated bluntly before looking over at Aleigra." What was it that you were here for?" She asked, her face softening. Aleigra registered that she was being spoken to and looked back at the woman.

"Oh! I have an appointment with Mr. Stark at 9:00" she answered looking at the clock that now read 9:03. "I'm-"

"Aleigra" the red head interrupted with a smile. “Natasha told me you were young but wow" she chuckled kindly "you’re just short of a prodigy huh?" She asked placing her hand Aleigra's back and leading her to the elevators, giving Gina a quick warning glance as they walked.

"Ah huh, nah, Nat started way younger than me, I, I haven’t been in the game nearly as long as she has " Aleigra laughed at the comment as they stepped onto the elevator. She knew she was good, but first impressions were crucial for all of this to go well, the humbler the better. “OH and you can just call me Alei" she added.

The woman smiled and extended her hand "Pepper" she replied as Aleigra shook her hand” I'm sorry about the mix up, Tony is pretty careless with things like that" she explained. Aleigra shrugged.

“It’s totally fine. But, it’s a good thing you showed up, it would have been a pretty bad scene having your guards laid out in the middle of your lobby" she said coolly, glancing over at the woman hoping she caught the joke.

"Yes, that would be pretty bad" Pepper chuckled as the elevator slowed to a stop.

"26th floor" an artificial voice spoke. Pepper thanked it and the two stepped off, the doors closing behind them.

Aleigra stared down the hallway that was off the elevator, a chill running down her spine. Although it had the same color scheme as the lobby, she couldn't shake the deadness of the area. 

“We don't really use this floor very often" Pepper explained as she began to walk.

"No kidding" the brunette mumbled as she trailed slowly behind her.

Aleigra looked around casually. The few doors on either side of her had windows placed in the upper middle of them. Mesh steel fit tightly between the glasses. Bulletproof. There wasn’t anything specifically off about the doors, but they seemed cold compared to the warm burgundy interior of the elevator that had now left them, the entire hall did. She continued to glance into each room, most were empty, bare as far as furniture was concerned, but there were a few that were set up like bedrooms. A bed with an aluminum frame, simple white sheets and a single pillow. Beside it was a pale white bedside table. On the same wall was a desk and chair. The rooms looked too clean; Aleigra would even go as far as calling them ghostly. 

They reached a fork at the end of the hall. To the left was another hall that matched that of the one they had just ventured down, but to the left was a much shorter hall that led to an immediate door. The door didn’t have a window, but you could faintly hear a rhythmic murmur from the other side, if you were listening as hard as Alei.

Pepper sighed, obviously sensing the sound as well; she shook her head as she raised her hand to knock on the door. The sound became lower and the two stood patiently waiting. 

"What's the password" a voice spoke over an invisible speaker. Aleigra raised an eyebrow; the voice wasn't the same as the one Pepper had spoken to on the elevator. 

"Tony" Pepper sighed, her weight shifting to her right leg abruptly. 

Uh oh 

“What’s the password? Can't just let anyone in here, you could be an assassin for all I know “the voice continued. A slight head tilt from Pepper, not good. 

"Anthony Edward Stark, open the door" she demanded. Aleigra sensed a strain in her voice, not in annoyance, but almost, knowing. Almost as if she had dealt with this, or something similar to this before. What kind of person was this Tony Stark?

“Can’t do that Pepper, and by the way, I love it when you say my name like that" the voice continued, Alei stifled a laugh at the comment. She watched as Pepper then crossed her arms. And strike three. 

"Yea? Well you'll be loving the couch tonight and the rest of the month too" she stated. Aleigra heard a quick scramble along with the muffled sounds of someone snickering. The next sound was the un-tightening of the metal door.   
There stood a man. He had short dark brown hair as well as a clean a clean cut facial hair, unique facial hair. His white teeth peeked from behind a nervous grin as he leaned in the doorway slightly out of breath.

"Heh" was all he could summon up before Pepper stepped past him and entered the room. Aleigra followed nodding sideway with a slight smile at the man. She looked the man up and down quickly as she passed. He wore a dark blue graphic long sleeve, the words "no rest for the wicked" splattered across what looked to be a burgundy bass guitar that ran across his chest. The words nearly gripping him due to the tightness of the fabric. He had his sleeves pulled up a little past his elbows wrapping tightly around his toned arm muscles. Simple jeans and running shoes accompanied the outfit.The man caught her glance and smirked, giving her a once over of his own before closing the door once more. 

Aleigra looked around the room, not quite sure what to focus on first. The room was filled with all types of "state of the art" machines and technology. The steel tables filled with papers as well as tools and metal scraps. She continued to look around before the slight chuckle from behind her caught her attention. She turned around quickly to meet the man, this time getting a more detailed look at his face. His brown eyes glinted down at her; he was a good few inches taller than her. Not quite as tall as cap, but no one she had ever met seemed as towering to her as did the super soldier. He looked to be in his early forties, but she sensed what a fading stress in his features was. She went to speak before his outstretched hand interrupted her.

"Tony Stark" he held his smirk "welcome to Stark Tower" he continued as she took his hand, they had a slight roughness to them. She looked down at his hand before making eye contact again. He seemed welcoming so she returned the smirk preparing to introduce herself.

"Nice to meet you and thanks, I'm-"

"Aleigra, Aleigra Jordyn Grey" Tony interrupted, prompting a wide eyed look of concern from the woman before him. They both dropped the handshake. Tony slid his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans, looking about the room.   
"I do my research, too many threats to just let anyone into my building, let alone work so closely to me" he explained with a shrug. “You understand right?" He asked, looking back at her.

"Yea.... no problem." She replied it didn't really bother her; it wasn't like she really had a choice. They probably had all the dirt on her. Sure, her record wasn't as 'elaborate' as Nat’s, but she had done her share of dirty work. And what's done in the dark always come to light, right?

"Good" he said, his smirk shifting into a smile.

"Tony stop you're going to scare her away" Pepper called from a table across the room. A man Aleigra hadn't noticed upon her first surveillance stood at the table slightly hunched over as he stared intently at the papers before him, obviously oblivious to what was going on around him. Either that or he hadn't cared enough to take his attention away from whatever was held in those papers. He wore a dark purple dress shirt untucked from his black dress jeans.

“Oh, don't worry; it'd take a lot more than a background check to scare me off" the girl smirked at the red head jokingly.

"Hey, I like her pep, we should get us a few of her....would do wonders around here" Tony laughed as Aleigra eyed the man still immersed in his work."Oh yea, Aleigra, ah, that's a mouthful." Tony sounded off once again pulling her attention away from across the room and back to the zealous man. "Can I call you AJ?" He asked, prompting a raised eyebrow, it was the first time that nickname had been offered to her, mainly because the only one who had known her full name prior to today was Nat. 

"You know, because of your first and middle-"

"Yea I get it," she interrupted, saving him an explanation. “Sure, why not" she shrugged lazily, what he chose to call her made no difference to her.

“Great!" he nearly yelled, followed by the sound of him bringing his hands together in delight. “Anyway like I was saying, I’d also like to introduce my second in command for this beautiful project” 

Aleigra watched as he made his way over to stand at the table, opposite the end Pepper sat at. He put his hand on the man’s shoulder, finally grabbing his attention. 

"Bruce Banner, nuclear physicist, genius, impartial to the color green." He rambled off as the man known as Bruce finally looked up from the table only to give Tony a look. The physical manifestation of the tone Pepper had used earlier, he too, was used to this. 

The man’s gaze moved to meet Aleigra’s, changing to one of slight curiosity. Aleigra stared back, matching the curiosity all the while quietly observing and taking in his person.

"AJ, big guy, big guy, AJ" Tony gestures back and forth.

He seemed nervous, a well-kept man aside from the messy locks that curled every which way atop his head. A few strands fell over his brown eyes; he offered a smile from one side of his mouth accompanied by wearied eyes. 

“uh, pleasure to meet you" he said stepping past Tony, Aleigra moved to meet him half way. He took her hand in his gripping it gently, as if the slightest pressure would break her. 

She studied him a bit more, smiling in return. He seemed harmless in appearance, but she also knew what he was capable of. Albeit from her to judge anyone from their past. As of present he was no threat and seemed to be a good person.

"Same, you can call me Alei, or Aleigra, or, AJ.” She added, the nickname still mew to her lips. "Whatever speaks to you" she grinned finishing the hand shake.  
A low chuckle sounded from the man, he ran a hand through his curls, ruffling them a bit. 

Man he has enough nerves for everyone in this room twice over.

“I’ll uh, I'll keep that noted" he breathed before returning to his place at the table.

‘’So I see you've met everyone" a woman's voice sounded. Aleigra turned to see Nat entering from one of the doors attached to the room, the door closing behind her as she approached the group. 

"Yes ma’am” Aleigra smiled, meeting her half way and joining her." They're very.... Friendly" she mumbled to Nat who returned with a smirk. 

"Has Tony briefed you on what will be happening, or has his "charm" gotten in his way?” she asked, taking a glance over at Pepper who nodded.

"Was that even a question?" Pepper smiled at Nat, who smiled back at her and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on, i was simply introducing AJ to everyone" Tony said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a clear slab, roughly the size of a cellphone.

"AJ?" Nat asked, looking at Aleigra who shrugged at her, a look of acceptance accompanying it.

“I was getting to it" He cleared a space on the table Bruce was at.   
He raised both hands, palms pressed to each other, once they had reached his eye level, he separated them. All at once the space before him was full of holographic data. Pictures of the winter soldier with paragraphs of information took up most of the "screen". 

Alei looked on; stepping closer to where tony stood to get a closer look at the information. It was all basically the same stuff she had read in the file she was given; incidents throughout the past 70 years that were linked to the brainwashed assassin, along with unsolved crimes that he may have had something to do with it.

Tony began to close files and open others. Pictures of the soldier were replaced with scientific equations and schematics of the human brain. Tony then clicked another file. In an instant the top right corner was filled with more information, a video of a woman stealthily taking down around 5 heavily armed guards played amidst it. Aleigra recognized the fighting technique, the way the woman took each stride and her takedown style. It was her. Tony quickly closed out the file, opening up what he had probably meant to open in the first place. Like the name thing, this didn't bother her. She knew they couldn't just accept someone Natasha had suggested without first giving her a thorough background check. 

"So!" Tony turned around to face her. Bruce also made his way around to the table to stand near him." What you see before you is the human brain." He gestured to the hologram behind him, pulling three of the files forward he began sifting through them as he explained. "In a typical human, the cerebral cortex is estimated to contain 15–33 billion neurons, each connected by synapses to several thousand other neurons. These neurons communicate with one another by means of long protoplasmic fibers called axons, which carry trains of signal pulses called action potentials to distant parts of the brain or body targeting specific recipient cells-" 

"I’m sorry, this is ....fascinating and all but, can you please save the lecture and just explain WHAT you'll be doing" Aleigra interrupted, she tried her hardest not to sound rude. She studied the blank expression on Tony's face, offering an embarrassed smile as backup.

"Oh thank God" Tony breathed , his expression turning to relief as he relaxed against the table, and glanced over at Pepper who was now making her way to the door they had originally entered through "See Pep, I’m telling ya, wonders around the office" he joked as the red head took her leave. Natasha cleared her throat.

"Yea yea, I hear ya." Tony turned back around and raised an eyebrow at the two. Taking a deep sigh, he removed two of the files, closing them out with the swipe of his finger, leaving one schematic up.*

"This is our .... Confused friends brain, it’s pretty messed up" he stated bluntly, showing a normal human brain schematic next to that of the soldier. There were dark spots throughout a sectioned area of his schematic. 

“The brain holds an area that stores memories, these memories are held in nerves located towards the back of the brain. The act of wiping the mind targets these nerves, all but destroying them and resulting in memory loss." Bruce had finally spoken up, as Tony governed the hologram, isolating the area of the brain containing the dark spots and enlarging it. “Lucky for us however, whatever they gave him, which was probably some equivalent to the serum given to Captain Rogers, has also quickened his ability to heal. These nerves have healed themselves over and over again, but did not meld back together. Instead they healed the damaged ends and became two separate nerves." 

“Sooo, kind of like if you cut a straw in half, and melt the tip of one side of each half so that the water won’t escape..... Right?” Aleigra quickly added, catching the curly haired man off guard.

“Ugh, yes” he responded, pushing his glasses back on his face. “So what we will be doing is unsealing the disconnected nerves and reattaching them to their partners in hopes of restoring the memories he had lost."

"And you think this’ll work?" Aleigra questioned. She had a pretty open mind, but some things she refused to just go along with. Bruce stared at her, a bit awestruck by her question.

“In theory, yes" Tony stepped in. “he’s already shown some kind of memory recognition, and if we're right, some of those nerves did reconnect during healing, which is why, with some triggering, he is able to remember small things." Tony explained. 

The two went on to explain the surgical technique to be used. They would be inserting microscopic tools into a small incision just below the hairline behind his neck, one by one repairing the nerves. He would take three days to heal, to which he may or may not be awake during. After they study and run tests on the first procedure, plans will be made for further surgeries. Once that’s decided, the remaining time between surgeries, he would be under Aleigra's supervision.   
Aleigra and Nat bounced a few questions off to the two men pertaining to the procedure out of curiosity. Bruce would answer while Tony retaliated with his own questions for Aleigra, ALL pertaining to the work she did before her latest assignment, and just what loose ends did she have to tie up that took two years to do. Before she had a chance to answer the last one the door Nat had entered through opened again. In stepped Steve, he wore plain jeans with a tight fitted red t shirt. Aleigra notes how it hugged every muscle of his torso. She wasn’t ashamed to admit he was attractive, even if he was about 74 years older than her*.

She studied his face, it held so much pain, and though she was sure the only other one to see that was Nat. He hid it behind a serious facade, his arms crossed as he glanced at the floor, obviously to avoid their attentive gaze.

"He's ready" was all that escaped his mouth before he turned around and returned to whatever the door led two.The four stood silently, Bruce returned to his work and Tony started closing out the files on the hologram. Aleigra looked over to Nat, raising an eyebrow.

"They've already met him.... Last chance to change your mind" she said, only slightly joking. The brunette thought for a moment, she had no reason to back down; she could handle this she was sure. 

“Let’s go" 

Nat led her to the door and opened, Aleigra was second to enter. The room was pale silver, circular lights inserted into the ceiling; it looked like one of the questioning rooms straight out of some crime solving TV show.   
Steve stood near the far right corner, eyes glued to the middle of the room. His brow was furrowed, and arms still crossed. She follows his gaze to the table she had ignored upon entrance ... It was silver like the tables in the previous room. A single chair accompanied it, and as of present it was being occupied. 

There sat a man, his brown hair spilling from the bottom of his baseball cap , fell limply on either side of his face, a slight wave danced on the russet locks. His gaze shifted from some spot in the room to Aleigra, studying her just as she was him. He had a good few day’s stubble growing around his face, and wore a dark blue zip up hoodie that seemed to fit him on all but his left arm. His blank expression did not change as he shifted slightly in his seat, crossing his arms as he leaned back in it. 

She could see the glint of metal peak from his sleeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Original Authors Notes:A/N:   
> * I am not a science major, and I’m aware that the way I’ve described things for the procedure is not scientifically accurate, but I ask that you bear with it for the Fics sake.  
> * just for a future reference I have a certain head canon for this story. When Steve came out of cryo he was 25. Shortly after his unfreezing, the events of the avengers happened, then two years later the events of Cap2 , making him around 27 physically ( and around 74 years older than Aleigra) . Although this may be for him, I believe Bucky is still around 25 years old physically ( I imagine them being the same age during cap 1) during cap2 due to never being out of cryo longer than a few days ( making him around 72 years older than Aleigra).  
> * I may have a few songs for chapters depending on the chapter and my inspiration, but my writing is strongly musically mused ( music helps me get into the mood of certain scenes) so ill be putting them at the beginning of chapter if anyone is interested in listening as they read.  
> * FINALLY!! THANK YOU!! for the reviews, favorites follows , and Tumblr messages, they’re all greatly appreciated.
> 
> See you next time in: The Man with The Metal Arm pt.2


	3. The Man With The Metal Arm Pt.2

There sat a man, his brown hair pulled back by an old worn baseball cap,a few stray strands fell limply on either side of his face. A slight wave danced on the russet locks. His gaze shifted from some spot in the room to Aleigra ,studying her from under the hat, just as she was him. It was intimidating,she would admit, but never show. He had about a week's stubble on his face but was clean none the less.  
   
Slowly , he looked up at her. Peeking from behind a few stray strands of hair. His eyes, shared a resemblance to that of spilled paint, a light turquoise drowned with the water of an artist's' paintbrush. They were a brilliant color, but lacked light , hardened by whatever he had been put through over these years. Dark circles kissed below his lower lashes, so prominent they could have been ingrained in his skin. 

A hollow silence crept through the room , no one moved , no one breathed. In a room of highly skilled humans, they waited for who would make the next move. Aleigra , was that person.  
Bucky watched as she approached the table. Her steps nearly invisible , though she moved with purpose.

"Aleigra, I'm a friend , and I've been asked to guide you in your recovery Mr. Barnes-"  
The deepening of his glare cut through Aleigra, silencing her introduction.

"Tak eto to, chto oni prinosyat ? Rebenok? Zhalkiy" he mumbled [So this is what they bring? A child? Pathetic], not necessarily speaking to anyone in particular. He still held his gaze to the young woman before him. His eyes raked over her body , studying her and what skills could be hidden in such a small physique. The once over managing to look the farthest thing from sexual. 

Natasha glanced over at the brown haired woman. A small change in expression escaped her as her blank expression twitched into a calm smirk. 

"Mr. Barnes , I can assure you that my skills are on par with some of the greatest assassins to ever live" she explained. In a normal situation , she would keep her cool demeanor. But seeing as they would soon be spending a lot of time together, she deemed it best to show him just exactly what she was about.

She rested both hands onto the table, the cool feel of the metal drawing the warmth from her fingertips.

"And, I can assure you ,not only am I far from pathetic.. I'm also a long ways away from being a child." Her face was only inches from the stoic man, but she feared nothing from him. His eyes dropped slightly as it registered to him that she understood Russian.A proud smirk softly resonated in Natasha. Steve, was less than impressed . 

 

"Bucky" the blonde called from the corner. The winter soldier sat up a bit , but didn't bother to turn around, his brow twitched slightly. "She is here to help you, we trust her" Steve spoke . Bucky shifted his eyes to the ground, as if in thought. Aleigra watched as his brow tensed a bit more .The first signs of emotion she had read from him since she entered the room. Then,as quickly as it came, he returned to a blank expression. Silence reclaimed the room.Natasha stepped up to the plate this time. 

"Mr Barnes, I'm sure you're not really interested in anything either of us have to say. But I will still give you my word that we will work hard to undo the damage ...they... Did to you"Natasha spoke slowly and calmly. "Steve asked us , as his friends, to help heal another friend. And that's what we plan to do." She finished looking over to Steve who nodded back at her.  
Bucky smirked at the table, 

"Amazing, a woman who only gained control over her life a little while ago, expects me to believe she can fix almost a century of damage?" He began in German tongue so precise it could have been his first language. A low scoff sounded from the man as he lifted his head to meet green eyes . "What a careless bitch"

The next sound heard was the sharp joining of skin on skin, as an open hand met the soldiers cheek. The noise resonated around the room before swiftly disappearing to leave a dry silence. The only movement came from eyes drifting to the person whose hand was still lingering in mid air. 

Aleigra stared hardly at the man in the chair , her mouth fixed with deepened disgust as her hand still hovered in the area where his face should have been. It was instead turned, a few strands of hair fallen over his red cheek. He turned his head slowly to look at her, his glare matching her own. He watched as she curled her fingers into her palm, one by one, before bringing her arm back to her side. 

"I don't care what you say to me , or what your feelings towards me are. You don't have to like me. I'm here because I was asked to be here by someone who cares for you." She began, the front of her legs pushing at the table as she began to lean closer to his face."I tolerate a lot of things, but I will not let you insult Natasha. EVER," she spoke dryly. Faces less than two inches from each other as her eyes tore into his. The silence had returned again,more tense than before, but Aleigra refused to budge.She held her gaze as she readied herself for anything that could happen. Then,a smirk faded into his features, an "almost" impressed look that only prompted a disgusted sneer from the young woman, fist tightening at every second .

"Aleigra" Natasha breathed cautiously.

"I'm leaving" she replied quickly,straightening up and turning her attention to Steve, who was now only a few feet behind where the man sat. "I've done what I needed and made my intentions clear. I'll be back in two days for the first procedure." She spoke calmly ,her words hard and exact. Natasha caught the way she spoke, a result of training when she was younger, an assassin's tone.

Steve nodded as a response , keeping his eyes on his friend, his muscles were tensed, prepared to react if Bucky tried anything.The room remained stale as Aleigra turned and exited without giving anyone a second glance. She reentered the work room where Bruce still remained hunched over his table of papers. Tony, however , was now lounged on a stool he had moved to the edge of said table. His feet resting on the corner, so to not disturb the papers it held. He fiddled with a small metal sphere, a small screwdriver twisting at the orb. 

The two looked up to give Aleigra their attention. 

"Refreshing isn't he?" Tony spoke , his eyebrow raising with a knowing smirk. Aleigra took no offense to his gesture, instead crossing the room quickly as she spoke. 

“ Just fix those lovely dispositions ASAP,yea?" She grimaced before closing the door behind her. 

Tony breathed a chuckle at the closed door before turning to his less than interested friend , who was once again engrossed in his papers.

" I like her, don't you like her?" He asked , taking his legs down from the table. Bruce only chuckled lightly, his shoulders raising slightly as he turned his head left and right.

"I bet she's single" he murmured with a grin, to which Bruce merely shook his head once more.

 

\---

It was past 5 when Aleigra made it back to her building. Bags filling each hand as she climbed the steps. Her annoyance had long since resided,specifically sometime between the third and fourth store she had visited. 

She shifted all the bags to her left hand so that she could unlock the door to the building, quickly slipping through the opening and closing the door behind her with her foot. She then approached the elevator praying that Ronald wouldn't be around. As the doors opened with a ding, she was instead greeted by a woman, her dirty blonde hair , slightly waved , falling just past her shoulders, a few brown streaks complementing the simple style.The woman smiled and began to open her mouth to speak.

"Miss Alei!" A tiny voice sounded from beside the woman, interrupting her . Aleigra smiled.

"Hello little miss" she returned,noticing she was still dressed the same as that morning, although she was now accompanied by a plush unicorn with a sparkled horn , as well as a small bookbag. 

"I'm going to a sumber party" she explained with excitement, holding up her stuffed companion. 

"Wow, that sound fun! I wish I could go to!" Aleigra returned the energy. She then looked back up at the women.

"A 'sumber' party huh?" She asked as she adjusted her point of focus. She was around the height of Natasha. Wearing a long ,deep orange, sweater that stopped just above the knee and was tied in the front by a belt of the same material , accompanied by dark blue jeans and brown flats. A curvy woman, not heavy , but seemed to have never fully recovered from her last pregnancy. 

She laughed a bit, a smile growing across her round face. A few wrinkles sat gracefully at the corners of her eyes, joining her light freckles that were dusted across her nose and the area of her cheeks , just below her eyes. A feature barely noticeable unless you were in the right lighting. 

"A birthday party, a SIX year old's birthday party" she laughed, Aleigra joined in at the thought of at least six other little girls like Bella running wild in a closed area

" I'm just going to drop her off, unfortunately I wasn't invited to chaperone the event" she winked at Aleigra.

"Mommy we're gonna be late" The excited 5 year old called from below, pulling at her mother's sweater. 

"Alright honey," she reassured before turning back to Aleigra. " I'll be back in an hour or so, could you keep an ear out for Jason? He's just doing homework but I'm always hesitant to leave him alone" she asks quickly as the tugging continues. 

"No problem, I'll make sure he doesn't throw any wild parties" she joked as she watched the two head for the exit. Aleigra called the elevator and headed up to her apartment immediately after. 

Making her way down the hallway to where her own home resided, she stopped and pressed an ear to her neighbors door for a moment, the faint sound of semi pop rock music, probably a fall out boy song, murmured from inside.

Aleigra smiled before turning around and unlocking her own door, and stepping into the dark entrance of her apartment , placing her bags in the walkway before shutting the door behind her. She placed her keys down on the small table near the door and slid her shoes off before pausing abruptly. 

The atmosphere was off; just ever so slightly did she detect a small change in her home. Aleigra paused taking in slow calculated breaths before stepping into the open space of her family room, not bothering to turn the lights on, she could tell someone had come through, and she also knew where they had went. Turning right she headed down the hall, a smirk rising on her face as she tipped through the apartment . Her bedroom door was shut.

"Rookie mistake" she whispered before reaching for the knob. Turning it her smile grew as she began to speak.

" Either you're getting old or you just don't give a shit" she laughed at the sight of Natasha on the bed laying on her stomach and reading a magazine, holding a flashlight to see. The redhead looked up slowly , her lips pursed to the side as she looked at the young woman in the doorway. 

" You know, according to Suzanne Neely... Pink is the new black" she paused looking at the magazine and examining the other side of the page she held between her fingers." What do you think? 'Pink Widow' could be a look"

"I think Pepto Bismol would have a better ring to it" Aleigra corrected, a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. "You could've just called" she began, flipping the lights switch before advancing further into the bedroom. She released a heavy sigh before falling face first into the bed beside Natasha. 

"You wouldn't have answered" Nat replied with a shrug. "Besides, I wanted to see the apartment, I'm so hurt I hadn't been invited over yet, don't you love your 'starshaya sestra'?"[older sister]She asked faking a hurt tone. Aleigra sighed again feeling the other woman move on the bed... She knew her face was probably inches away from her own.

"Net"[no]she mumbled into the comforter before turning over and looking up at the redhead , a goofy face at the ready as she stuck her tongue out at her rebelliously. " I was going to invite you when I was finished unpacking" she mumbled , crossing her arms.

"So never?" The redhead asked sitting back and flashing a disapproving look at the younger woman. 

"Why would you say that?" Aleigra inquired , propping herself up on the pillows . 

"Because you never completely unpack"

" Wouldn't make sense to when you never know how long you'll be staying," she glanced over at the ex assassin. "You know that better than anyone, you're the one who taught me" she continued giving her another look. Natasha nodded knowingly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Yes, I did, but things are rather different now, wouldn't you say ?"

"Maybe for you." Aleigra was now staring her straight in the eyes. Natasha did the same , anyone outside the exchange would think they we're both on edge, but Aleigra knew the subtle differences in the woman's expression. And the look she was giving her burned her up inside.

Sympathy. 

Aleigra broke contact , standing from the bed and making her way around it .  
"Come on Nat! You saw what happened in there!" She began, pacing back and forth eagerly. "I'm sure they're already scrambling for a different person." She rambled on , at one point mentioning slapping Captain Americas best friend and how it was probably a federal offense. 

 

Natasha watched patiently and quietly as her friend let off steam. She knew the feelings were bottled up , and she needed to let them out now before they really caused harm, to her or someone she encountered. 

After a minute or two Aleigra had finished pacing and was now leant on the wall, arms crossed and brow furrowed . 

"Maybe I'm not the best choice Nat, I mean... This is a completely different assignment than anything I've ever done before"she shook her head , allowing a sigh to escape her.

"Well Steve thinks otherwise" Nat responded, prompting a surprised look from the wall dweller. "He finally agrees that you're perfect for this" Nat continued.

"Why in Gods name would he think that?" Aleigra raised a brow.

"Because you lack conviction with him, you didn't hesitate, and had a response for everything he threw at you.... You didn't panic"she smirks knowingly. “You did well”

Aleigra stared back at the smirking woman,moments passed as she considered what was being said to her. If she was in caps shoes, and that man had been Nat…..

“He needs an outsider” she finally spoke “ someone who has no attachment to him , so there's no bias right?” She turned and looked at the red head woman. “That's why he thinks I'm perfect” 

“ Glad you understand” Nat shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is starting back and i'm happy i finally have a chance to update this fic! I'll most likely be updating ADKOT before i come back to post another chapter for this!
> 
> Catch you all next time in : Dissonance


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